Biography for
William Haines (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

2 January 1900, Staunton, Virginia, USA

Date of Death

26 December 1973, Santa Monica, California, USA (lung cancer)

Birth Name

Charles William Haines

Nickname

Billy

Height

6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

Born in Staunton, Virginia, William Haines ran off to live life on his own terms while still in his teens, moving to New York City and becoming friends with such later Hollywood luminaries as designer Orry-Kelly and Cary Grant. His film career started slowly, but by the end of the silent era he was regularly named as the #1 male box-office draw. He also became fast friends with a number of contemporaries, such as Joan Crawford and Marion Davies, whose fame would eclipse his. His career faded rapidly in the early 1930s, and he was finally released allegedly due to a fight with MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer over Haines' refusal to end his relationship with his lover, Jimmie Shields. However, as his film career ended, his interior design career blossomed, resulting in major work for Jack L. Warner and the Bloomingdales, and culminating in the refurbishing of the American ambassador's residence in London, England. Although Haines was quite open about his homosexuality and entertained many of Hollywood's gay set - including George Cukor and Clifton Webb - his story is missing from many histories of the era. Haines and Shields remained a couple for 50 years; Crawford called them "the happiest married couple in Hollywood."

IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Adam <anthony-adam@tamu.edu>

Trade Mark

One of the first of the wisecracking male leads

Trivia

Almost 3 months after William's death, his lifelong partner, Jimmie Shields, broken-hearted, committed suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills.

Following the Great Depression and a tight crackdown on morality, MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer insisted Haines leave his lover and publicly marry a woman. Haines refused and was fired. His relationship with longtime lover, Jimmie Shields, lasted fifty years.

In 1930, Haines was the top box-office male star and Joan Crawford the top female.

Was approached, along with fellow silent screen veterans Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson, to play one of Gloria Swanson's bridge partners in Sunset Blvd. (1950). Swanson herself reportedly asked him to do it. Haines declined and fellow screen veteran H.B. Warner took the part.

Won the "New Faces of 1922" contest sponsored by the Samuel Goldwyn Co. and was awarded an eventual contract, which shifted to MGM upon the company merger. The other winner of the contest was Eleanor Boardman.

After involuntarily retiring from acting, he took up a successful, prolific, decades-long career as an interior decorator. Some of his clients included Carole Lombard and Mr. and Mrs. Fredric March.

He was an active supporter of the Republican Party and a close friend of Ronald Reagan.

Was close friends with Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard and Aileen Pringle long after he ended his acting career.

His first clients as an interior decorator were Leila Hyams and her husband Phil Berg, Haines' agent.

Under pressure to marry, he proposed to friend and frequent co-star Anita Page during the making of Are You Listening? (1932). She turned him down, and the two remained friends for a long time after.

Decorated the home of Claudette Colbert in 1934, probably on the recommendation of mutual friend Carole Lombard.

Decorated William Powell's home in 1934, probably on the recommendation of Carole Lombard with whom Powell was still on good terms despite their recent divorce.

When asked by reporters if there was a special woman in his life, Haines almost always claim to be hopelessly in love with Polly Moran. The two were close friends in real life but were never romantically involved.

Met his partner Jimmie Shields in New York in 1926 during a promotional tour. They lived together until Haines' death.

Won an MGM talent contest which brought him and a young woman to Hollywood. The young woman was Eleanor Boardman.

Remained on good terms with producer Irving Thalberg and wife Norma Shearer following his departure from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

During the early 1930s he leased his renovated house to 'Tallulah Bankhead'.

While at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Haines was able to get stand-in and extra work for his partner Jimmie Shields. Shields, who was attractive and photogenic but apparently had no interest in an acting career, stopped taking bit roles after a year or so but remained a fixture, frequently visiting the set and bringing Haines home-made lunches.

He created an interior decoration at the 1939-1940 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, California, which boasted a painting by up-and-coming artist Georgia O'Keeffe.

In 1938, he decorated the homes of Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett. Both houses were designed in the 'French Provincial' style by James Dolena.

Redecorated the home of Jack L. Warner and his second wife Ann Boyar in 1937. The house was later bought by David Geffen, who completely renovated the property.

Proprietor of the interior decoration boutique, Haines-Foster Inc. which he opened in late September, 1930, at 1522 La Brea Avenue in Hollywood.

Personal Quotes

[on his latter-day interior-decorating career of almost four decades] I like what I'm doing now. It's clean. No makeup on the face.

Joan Crawford thought we should get married. This was back in the 1920s, when I was a star and she was a rising flapper. It wasn't just a crass question of her ambition; we were very good but platonic friends. I told her, "Cranberry" - my pet name for her - "that isn't how it works in Hollywood. They usually pair men who like men and ladies who like ladies". Because if we both liked men, where would we be as man and wife? She'd resent me, and that would be the end of our beautiful friendship.

I went to the beach house of a famous leading lady of the 1930s, which she wanted redecorated if it didn't cost too much. The only sculptures she had were of herself, so I asked her if she liked painting. She said she preferred wallpaper - flocked yet! And I found out that she ordered books by the yard. The woman was virtually illiterate!

[on the coming of sound to MGM] It was the night of the Titanic all over again, with women grabbing the wrong children and Louis B. Mayer singing "Nearer My God to Thee".

[on his friend, Joan Crawford] Until Joan discovered she could cover her furniture in plastic, there were entire apartments in Los Angeles that had been furnished with almost new sofas and chairs that had been soiled once then discarded.